Padma Rao Writes To President Complaining Against Closure Of Schools

Dalit leader Kathi Padma Rao wrote a letter to President seeking his intervention in the AP Government’s proposal to close over 9,000 schools in the rural areas.

Amaravati: Dalit leader and Navyandhra Party founder Kathi Padma Rao wrote a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee drawing his attention to the AP government’s move to close more than 9,000 schools in the rural areas. He termed it total violation of the Constitution by denying the right of the rural people for education.

Padma Rao said that the government had issued GO 29 proposing rationalisation of government schools. This would mean that the government would merge several schools taking into consideration the strength of the students, he said. The merger would mean closure of some schools, he said. He alleged that the government wanted to bring down the number of schools in the rural areas only to force people to go to the private schools, which have been fleecing them in the name of fee.

The Navyandhra Party leader said that Dr Ambedkar had ensured right to education for the people and the successive governments have established schools in every village. The government schools right from the primary to the high levels have been located close to the people in the villages with the shortest possible journey. The governments have also established welfare hostels for the students to stay in hostels and complete their education, he said. However, the Telugu Desam government headed by N Chandrababu Naidu had proposed closure of several welfare hostels and schools in the name of rationalisation. Several hostels were already closed as some of them were turned into residential schools. Thus thousands of students have lost their right to education after the closure of the hostels, he said.

Now, the government had proposed closure of schools taking away education from the reach of the poor, particularly those in the rural areas, Padma Rao added. He appealed to the President to intervene and direct the AP government to withdraw the GO and continue the existing schools. He wanted the President to protect the right of the people of Andhra Pradesh by preventing the government from closing the schools.